Wandering Spirits
by Unhappy Squirrel
Summary: No matter how much luck you have, no matter your power, miracles are still impossible. Life cannot go on if you don't have the will.[Complete]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Don't own don't sue, everyone's happy unless you're a lawyer

**Chapter 1**

NOO! This wasn't fair. It wasn't supposed to be him. They were supposed to be happy, not overcome with so much anger that everything around her had been broken. Even the boy lying in front of her was broken. She wanted to scream, to do something about this, but no matter what she did, it didn't help. It will never be enough.

Tears rolled down the pink haired kunoichi's cheeks. There was nothing worth living for anymore. Nothing worth so much suffering had ever existed. Death was the only peace left in this world. Chaos, destruction, fear, and anger... sufferings, joys, triumphs, and pain. What else was there? Joys and triumphs weren't enough. Triumph of killing another person was not peace. Joy was only a sad attempt to show the world as a lie. There was no joy in this world, only fools stupid enough to believe that something better existed.

Sakura stared at the body in front of her. The boy she had loved had poured her heart out to, was gone. Why him? Why him? Why? What had Sasuke done to deserve this much suffering? So what if he left the village? Who cared? He had come back with Orochimaru's corpse. He had proved that he really cared about someone besides himself. If setting free the entire Sound Village, killing the man who had destroyed so many people, and returning with the corpse of his brother wasn't enough to undo his betrayal to Konoha, then what was?

"Sakura!" She heard the call, but ignored it. Tears flowed onto the seventeen-year-old body, never to age again. There was a peace about him, but it wasn't enough for Sakura to feel comforted. She had never gotten over the childish crush.

Looking up through her tears, Sakura found that the sun was setting. Sunset had always been her favorite time. Everything was peaceful and quiet. A calming aura surrounded the world at sunset, but all Sakura felt was cold. Cold hearted to Sasuke's killers, cold like death had encased her, never allowing her to leave its grasp.

_Sasuke! She had shouted, but it was too late. The kunai hit its target. Sasuke coughed once, twice before collapsing. The dagger like knife protruded from his back. The fire in his eyes extinguished and a cold grey look took over._

-Flashback-

Sakura kicked at Kakashi. The jounin ducked laughing. "You can do better than that. Come at me with all you've got if you want to win."

The girl punched. Again Kakashi laughed. "Try something different."

Now it was Sakura's turn to laugh. "I did." It was then that the man realized he couldn't move.

"Paralysis jutsu, very good," Kakashi muttered.

"I couldn't hear that last part could you speak up a little bit?" Sakura smiled at the look of anger she had received from her sensei.

"Kai." The paralysis jutsu slowly released him. Flexing his fingers, he turned to watch Naruto and Sasuke spar. They kicked and punched at each other. Neither was winning, but neither was losing.

A small movement in the bushes had caught Sakura's eyes and she followed the kunai.

"Sasuke!" she shouted, but it was too late. Coughing twice, he fell to the ground. Naruto stepped back in horror as Sakura and Kakashi raced over.

Death had enveloped Sasuke's body, never to breathe, never to fight, never to live again.

---

Sakura held on to the memories she had left. They slipped away like grains of sand in her palm. She slipped into insanity. There was no way out. There was no other way than death. Everyone died, so why try to live?

Kakashi called her name softly once more. There was still no response from the crying kunoichi. _A true shinobi never lets their emotions show. Emotions are a weakness and no ninja can afford to be weak._

The words echoing in her head meant nothing. Any bits of sanity Sakura still contained were slowly deteriorating. Crying out in anger, she slammed her fist into the ground. Again and again, until Kakashi had run up and grabbed her fist. She tried wrenching it from his grasp, but his grip only became firmer.

Turning around and punching her sensei, she ripped her wrist out of his hand and sprinted off.

Kakashi stared after her before looking down. Sitting on the ground, he reached for the deceased chuunin. Putting his fingers on Sasuke's eyelids, he closed them. It had finally hit him. Fighting back tears, Kakashi picked up Sasuke's body and walked out of the training grounds.

---

Sakura lay in bed staring at her ceiling. The tears never ended. Her pillow was damp along with the bed covers around her. She sat up and threw her pillow at the wall. She screamed with frustration. Aggravation coursed through her body. Retching over the side of her bed, Sakura fell into darkness.

---

Naruto sat on his stool at Ichiraku Ramen with his head on the counter. Fighting back tears took all of his willpower as he remembered his best friend. They had gotten off to a rocky start, but when Sasuke had come back on bended knee, begging for forgiveness, they began to click.

Every so often, they went out for ramen and almost every Friday they had spent at a bar. The two had become closer and closer, until their bickering was considered brotherly. Sakura had thought it funny when she had come to the bars with them. The three friends had become a family and any crushes were no longer. Each felt like they needed to protect the other, but now, now the family was one member short.

---

Kakashi knocked on Sakura's door. He had already been to comfort Naruto even though he was sure it didn't work.

When there was no answer, Kakashi began pounding harder.

"GO AWAY!" If that wasn't a sign to turn around and leave her alone, he didn't know what was. But for some reason, he ignored it. He needed to make sure that she was all right. He had to know how she was holding up, because he was cracking. It was to comfort himself as much as her, so he continued knocking

The door was wrenched open so hard, Kakashi was surprised that it stayed on its hinges. "I'VE TOLD YOU ONCE TO LEAVE ME ALONE! GO AWAY!"

The door was almost closed when a foot stopped it. Sakura pulled the door back kicked Kakashi's foot out of the way, and slammed it shut.

Kakashi looked down. There was something different about Sakura. Something was missing. He remembered the glare in her eyes. There was no fire, no hope left in them. She was dead.

He knocked again, semiconsciously. This time the response _did_ split the door of the hinges. It slammed into a wall, with drywall pieces falling to the ground.

"WHAT?" Sakura screamed.

"Want to go train?" Kakashi's attempt to cheer her up had been lame in the first place, but this was just plain stupid. She wasn't going to say yes to some foolish question like that, was she?

"No," she said, simply. She picked up the door and put it back where it was supposed to go. She bolted the door and started replacing the screws. The drywall, she couldn't do anything about so it was just going to remain like that until someone decided to fix it for free. So it was going to stay like that forever.

Kakashi turned away disgusted at his sad attempts to lighten a broken girl's mood. Shuffling his feet, he finally walked away.

---

Naruto screamed, cleaving at the logs in front of him with his elongated nails. Red chakra coursed through his body and his eyes were bloodshot. Scarlet roses crumpled beneath his feet as the nine-tailed fox overcame the boy.

Ashes floated to the ground when a sudden burst of chakra poured out of his claw-like fingers.

Hinata turned away and ran through the trees grateful Naruto hadn't noticed her. She felt his pain and she wanted to comfort him, but no words worth saying appeared in her mind. Letting Naruto destroy everything that got in his way, she ran back to the village.

_No! This isn't fair! This wasn't supposed to happen! He was supposed to be accepted not killed. Whoever had done this will need a good explanation to survive my wrath. I kill him. I'LL KILL HIM!_ He shouted the last words. His voice was low and raspy as he took that oath. He drove another fist into the wood. It shattered into a pile of splinters. He didn't pull his hand back as he surrendered to the darkness.

---

Tsunade's eyes were filling with tears, but she fought them back easily. She still hadn't trusted the Uchiha boy completely, but to die to be murdered, there was no honor in that death. She wanted to rip off the homicidal maniac's head, but she knew that the sweet taste of revenge would be short lived.

She had become something like a mother to team 7, even Sasuke. She wanted to make sure that no more suffering had come their way. What a foolish promise. She knew that she couldn't stop people from suffering, only prolong their peace. There was no way that anyone could really believe that Tsunade felt the pain team 7 was experiencing. No one would understand that team 7 considered her their mother. Team 7 was suffering and so was she.

---

The village as a whole had a completely different reaction. Most people were laughing and going on with their lives. Very few people felt remorse as they watched team 7 walk by. Naruto and Sakura stared loathingly at the merry villagers surrounding them, mocking their feelings, laughing at their pain. Had it been up to them, they never would have left their apartments.

Kakashi walked behind them careful not to be conspicuous about his anger toward the laughter and excitement. The three walked up to Ichiraku Ramen.

Shooing some people away, Teuchi made room for Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. He brought out three bowls of ramen and dragged a stool up to sit in front of the suffering family.

The bowls of food were ignored as they stared at the wooden counter, each vowing revenge. Not a word passed through their lips and no tear was shed. They were beyond feeling sorry; they wanted to see Sasuke's killer dead.

The ramen shop owner let them keep their quiet. He didn't want to disturb them.

They were suffering so much. They had experienced too much pain and death for even a ninja. It was suffocating to know that nothing would help them; nothing could be even remotely cheering. They were dead to the world and nothing could bring them back.

---

Kakashi felt guilty as he took another swig of sake. So this was the only way he could drown his sorrows, by getting drunk? How he had fallen over the years. Despicable to show that Hatake Kakashi was falling so much.

Gai, Genma, and Anko sat around him. Kurenai and Asuma walked back to their table carrying another bottle of sake. They set it down and looked up at their friend.

His head had fallen to the table with a soft _thunk._ The group of jounin stared at Kakashi. They had never seen their friend show self-pity. He hated any pity that came his way. It made him feel weak and scorned.

Kurenai and Anko poked him. No response was given. In return, they shook him. He wrenched his shoulder from their grasp and continued sulking. His self-pity disgusted himself, but he didn't raise his head. He didn't want to show anyone his shame, his tears.

No longer could he hold it in. He sprinted out of the bar and ran to a small oak tree he had dubbed his own. To his horror, Sakura was sitting in his spot, pouring out her sorrow, shedding tear after tear. He had to be strong for her, for himself, but he couldn't. There was no way he could stop his pain from showing.

Something warm slid down his cheek. Reaching up he wiped the tear from his cheek. Kakashi recoiled. He hadn't cried since he was four years old. Why now? He shook himself, but it didn't help.

Ashamed, the silver haired shinobi sat at the base of the tree and hid his head in his hands. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks. He cried for the fourth Hokage, for Obito and Rin, and for Sasuke. They were his friends and they all had died. He could do nothing to help them they were gone forever.

Discontent was etched on his face when Sakura finally looked down. She saw the tears between his fingers. Breaking down completely, Sakura jumped down and hugged her sensei.

---

Naruto looked out the window of his apartment, moaning. He whispered the name of his friend, the name of his eternal rival, the name of his brother.

"Sasuke." That name had always been in his mind. It pushed him to limits unknown when he thought of that name.

"Sasuke." The name echoed and he toughened. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought of his brother. They had always fought, but everyone, including Sakura had thought it brotherly. Sasuke had been one of a kind, Naruto's brother, Naruto's friend, Naruto's eternal rival, but now, now, he was no longer.

"Sasuke," garbled Naruto, "what did you do?" What did you do to deserve this? What did you do to deserve a horrible death, so dishonorable?

Naruto wept. He cried out in pain and agony. Screaming, he punched the ground. "SASUKE!" That name had kept him living. He wanted to better the Uchiha. He wanted to prove himself to that boy. But now, all he would prove himself to was a gravestone and a never aging corpse.

---

"Get up," Kakashi said to Sakura. Sakura shook her head. Tears rolled down the kunoichi's face. Blood and sweat caked on her shirt. Kakashi yanked her up. Her body accepted defeat, but her mind refused to comply.

They were training beside the oak tree. Kakashi let go of Sakura. She fell back down on the ground, refusing to get up.

Gazing at the oak tree, Kakashi sat beside her. She lay on the ground, face down. Tears rolled down her cheeks and into the green grass. The kunoichi's mentality was cracking. Plummeting into insanity, Sakura gave up any optimism in the world. All she saw was a melancholy world without anything worth living.

Kakashi glanced down at his student. Fighting to remain composed, he found what he was looking for and it broke his heart. To see his student give up, give in, was worse than watching Sasuke die. Her mind was disintegrating, deteriorating; there was nothing to do. He could only watch from the sidelines and pray for her.

Sakura screamed, making Kakashi jump with dread. He had known that she would give in, but it still came as a shock. He begged for her sake, that she wouldn't surrender, but it was futile.

Her fingernails scraped the dirt, struggling against herself. She couldn't scream, she had no voice. Darkness encased her body, bringing her under its spell. Kakashi tried shaking her, snapping her out of it. All he earned were scratches. Battling against Sakura, he sedated her.

The kunoichi stopped thrashing and she regained control of her body. Crying and clutching her sensei, she let him carry her to the hospital.

---

Tsunade rushed to Sakura's room. Medic-nin were trying to suppress the thrashing girl. No matter how many ropes, no matter how many medics, she only grew more and more determined to get free.

Sakura screamed, tears streaming into her hair. Crying out in anguish, the kunoichi admitted defeat. Tsunade dismissed the medic-nin and sat next to her apprentice in a visitor's chair. She wiped the tears away and stroked Sakura's cheek. She bowed her head.

No, she mustn't cry. She can't show weakness, not in front of Sakura. Pain gripped at her stomach, wrenching at her mind. She can't give in, she can't surrender.

Fruitless attempts to get Sakura back into the world were made, but nothing worked. She was gone, just another body occupying a hospital bed.

---

Naruto clenched his teeth as Kakashi relayed the news of Sakura, or what was left of her. She didn't deserve that. What Sakura was going through was worse than any suffering. No one justified being dead to the world, a vegetable. People needed to live life, not be forced to stay in this world because your body refuses to submit. Her psyche was gone. Nothing could bring Sakura back. It was hopeless.

---

Ino stared at Sakura's body. Every so often, she would move. When she moved, Ino's heart skipped a beat, only to sink lower. There was nothing worth living for anymore. Her best friend was no more.

Forming hand seals, she inserted her soul into Sakura's body. She saw flashes of the past and Inner Sakura beating herself up. Ino couldn't take it anymore.

"Kai." Her soul raced back into its original body. There was pain in Ino's eyes as she stared at her friend. She gritted her teeth, clenching her eyes shut. Forcing back tears, Ino ran out of the room.

---

Sasuke blinked. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? He reached for the wound on his back. It was there, but why didn't it hurt? Sitting up, he looked around. He was still at the training grounds. Nobody was there. No Sakura, no Naruto, no Kakashi, where was everybody?

Standing, the raven-haired boy raced to the village. Stopping in front Ichiraku, he walked up to Naruto and Kakashi.

"Hey," he said, sitting on a stool. Neither of his friends looked at him. He expected to get a reaction from Naruto when he waved a hand in front of his face. The blonde boy looked through it as if it wasn't there.

"Huh?" Sasuke said. Just then, he realized he was translucent. No one could see him.

A/N: Okay, for those of you who might be getting ideas, no this is NOT a romance fanfiction. Oh, and sorry about the cliffhanger.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:Once more, don't own Naruto. Crap...

**Chapter 2**

A/N: For those who are wondering --- means change of scene. When I do flashbacks, it's –flashback-, don't own Naruto, sorry people who want to sue.

Sasuke realized he was translucent. Nobody could see him.

Naruto slammed his fist down on the counter. "Damnit."

Kakashi looked up. He wasn't even reading his porn novels. Teuchi shuffled over to the downtrodden two. Broken and weary, they let pushed away the fresh bowls of ramen.

Sasuke recoiled. What had happened to Naruto? He never refused ramen. What had put them into such a dire mood?

Naruto whispered, "Damnit, she doesn't deserve this. She was the brightest and she fell so low. She doesn't deserve to be just another person, lying in a hospital bed, deteriorating. She was special, so why? Why her?" Tears splashed onto the counter.

Sasuke looked at Naruto's face. He was biting his lip to stop it from quivering. The happy-go-lucky attitude he had had was replaced by pain and lament. It was sickening to watch Naruto lose it. He never capitulated to anything.

Kakashi's uncovered eye was watery. Tears snaked down his cheeks. Sasuke looked down. He couldn't stand to see the man who had acted like his father for three years, weep.

The two got up and Sasuke followed. Kakashi had wiped his eye and there was no trace of any tears. The hospital loomed closer and Naruto and Kakashi climbed the steps, with their ghostly friend still pursuing them.

They paused outside room 416. When Sasuke entered the room, he was appalled to see Sakura lying in the hospital bed. Naruto walked up to Sakura and reached out to grab her hand. The kunoichi's eyes flew open and she started speaking gibberish. No coherent words escaped her lips. All of the irrational talk ended in Sakura shrieking. Naruto backed away, slowly, pain showing in his face.

Sasuke looked over at Kakashi. The jounin showed no emotion, but horror. His gaze was downcast and forced. He tried not to look at the insane girl, clawing at the air. It took all of his will power to fight back any emotion. Horror was engraved on his face as he bit his bottom lip. Obviously, nobody saw this, but it irritated Kakashi nonetheless.

After Sakura had fallen back into her semiconscious state, Naruto and Kakashi left. Sasuke stayed behind. Carefully, he stepped toward the manic girl glad she had drifted asleep. He held her hand and was about to add a soothing word, when the world went dark. Pictures swam in and out of sight.

Suddenly, things became clear and there was Sakura scraping at herself. He ran over her and held her tight. Sakura's eyes opened as she regained control. Gripping onto her friend, she cried into his shoulder.

"Sasuke," she whispered, "Sasuke."

"I'm here," he muttered to the crying girl. "You'll be okay. I'm here." Sasuke fought back tears as she wept into the shoulder of his soul. He never moved her he never stepped back. He just let her cry.

"Oh Sasuke," Sakura sighed. She let go of him and he floated away. He saw a fleeting smile pass Sakura's lip. Sasuke bowed his head, letting himself drift away.

---

Sakura woke the next morning with complete control of her mind. She looked down and saw that she had been restrained to the bed. Letting her head fall back, she sighed. "Sasuke." The boy had given her control. She was free of insanity. She had her mind back, her life back.

"Thank you Sasuke."

---

Tsunade dashed to Sakura's room. It was impossible. Sakura had done it. She had command of her life. She wasn't a vegetable occupying space, she was alive again. She could live.

Cutting the restraints, she allowed Sakura to sit up. The kunoichi rubbed her wrists. "You think you could have made those any tighter?" A small laugh passed through her open mouth.

Tsunade smiled with a cheerful attitude. She was back, as back as she would ever be. There was no screaming, no attempts fight unseen monsters, no out-of-control body. Sakura was back.

---

Naruto and Kakashi pounded down the roads kicking up dust. So that was all just a phase. She had fought it. Sakura had never succumbed to dark's spell. Joy finally coursed through their bodies once more.

Almost slamming into the hospital, they sprinted down the hall. Screeching to a halt, they entered her room. Sakura was sitting, pillows propped up. She was reading a book, paying no attention to the two males that had just walked in. Naruto bit his lip. They probably should have knocked first, so he opened the door and rapped against the wood.

Sakura glanced up and put a bookmark in her spot. Setting the book aside, she nodded at them. "What brings you here?"

"Um, we can see you right? I mean, after all we are your friends," Naruto answered. Kakashi didn't say anything, choosing to sit in the only chair in the room. Naruto noticed this and frowned. Instead, he moved Sakura's feet and sat at the edge of her bed.

"So, how do you feel?" Kakashi said. Sakura rolled her eyes. She had been asked that question by so many medic-nin, she had finally decided not to answer and ignore that question. This time was no different.

Naruto jumped up and down, shaking the bed. Suddenly he raced out of the room leaving Kakashi and Sakura. Sakura raised an eyebrow and Kakashi shrugged.

A medic-nin ambled in. "How do you feel?" The kunoichi didn't bother with rolling her eyes. Instead, she picked up her book. Opening it to her bookmark, she pulled it out and continued reading. Examining the pages, she completely ignored the medic-nin after labeling her incompetent.

The medic-nin scowled, apparently not used to resistance. Kakashi smiled, careful to not let it show. This was going to prove interesting.

"Take these." The medic shoved a cup of pills into Sakura's hands. The pink haired girl glanced at her watch.

"I take these at noon. It's not noon yet." This going to prove really interesting. The medic's exasperation showed on her face.

"You take them now while I am in the room." The medic clenched her teeth.

"One, it's not noon yet, two, I'm a medic-nin and can take care of myself, and three, I'm not some ineffectual prissy lady who's obsessed with her nails." Sakura peeked at the woman's nails. They were perfectly manicured with a thick layer of purple nail polish applied.

Sakura put the cup of pills on her bedside table. "Aren't you even going bring me a glass of water? My, what manners you have," sarcasm layered the last sentence.

"If you take your pills, I'll get you a cup of water." Kakashi could tell the medic's patience was waning. She wasn't going to hold up much longer.

"You'll have to wait six more minutes. When my watch says noon, I will take my pills and not a minute sooner." Sakura turned a page in her book. The medic screamed and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

A faint smile played across Sakura's lips as she placed her bookmark back in. Downing the two pills, she looked at her watch. "Oops, so maybe it was noon after all." It was Kakashi's turn to roll his eyes.

"That was easier than I thought. When are they going to learn?" Sakura chuckled. Kakashi smiled. If that was her form of entertainment, so be it. He wasn't about to argue. The silver haired jounin stayed as another medic-nin brought Sakura her lunch. He noted that the medic left quickly, not giving Sakura time to criticize. She dipped her spoon into her ramen and slurped up the noodles. She blanched at the tasteless meal. Sakura missed Ichiraku's noodles.

Neither of them spoke much. Sakura read mostly, but she was still grateful of his presence. Kakashi watched her. She was Sakura once more, but she was stronger, more graceful.

He looked at her eyes. A small fire had rekindled itself. It still wasn't as big as before, but it was there. Darkness had lost its grip. It couldn't drag her down, hold her back anymore. The fire in her eyes had chased it away.

Tsunade walked in fuming. "Will you stop harassing the medics? That's the third one this week that's resigned." Sakura smiled.

"But I'm bored." Kakashi had to hold back a laugh. She had sounded like a three year old trying to apologize. Tsunade didn't like that answer.

"Just cut back on the pestering, will you?" Sakura smiled even more. Cutting back on annoying the medics was going to be practically impossible. It was too fun...and it got rid of inadequately experienced medics. Tsunade stormed out when a call came on her radio.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming."

---

Naruto wasn't certain of Sakura's sudden recovery. He wasn't sure that she had really overcome the shadow lurking behind her. He wasn't positive that his best friend was really in her right mind. After all, she was in an almost comatose state. Reviving in such way, so quickly, it wasn't normal. At least, not for everyone else, but even the nine-tailed fox couldn't heal mental wounds. Something was wrong.

---

Sakura sat up. A loud cough came from the chair beside her bed. Jumping slightly from the noise, she turned her head carefully.

Kakashi was slumped in the chair, asleep. His mask was slightly wet where drool was leaking out the sides of his mouth. She smiled, slightly disgusted at the sight.

Looking over at the clock, it read 3:34. How she hated those stupid pills. Conking out in front of her ex-sensei must have been embarrassing, although the sight of him now made up for it.

She sighed and nudged the man awake. "Huh?" was all he could register at the moment. After about a minute, the silver haired jounin, jumped up. He blinked.

"I have to go," he said, suddenly, and left.

---

Naruto slammed into Kakashi as the hyperactive boy walked to Sakura's room. The man stopped and looked down. No matter if he was taller than Sakura, Kakashi was still larger.

Naruto stepped back and continued without apologizing. He turned and strode into Sakura's room. She looked up from her book and smiled.

"Hi, Naruto!" Naruto nodded without a reply. He sat in the chair stationed next to the door.

"Umm, Sakura, are you sure you're all right?" Naruto didn't look at his friend.

"What? Are you saying you don't want me to get well?" Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Naruto could smell her anger. Her voice had broken at that last word.

_What was she thinking? Of course, I want her to get well. Wait, what was _I _thinking? I'm an idiot._ Naruto deliberately avoided the kunoichi's glance. "Sakura, don't you think it's a little odd that you came back? After all, you were practically comatose."

Sakura calmed down when she saw the concern in the boy's eyes. She could tell him, couldn't she? "Naruto, I understand what you're saying, and I agree with you..."

Naruto looked up, astonished and fearful. Now that he was listening, did he really want to hear it?

"...but I didn't fight it alone. I saw Sasuke! He helped me. I saw him!" Sakura's eyes sparkled, but Naruto's became dull.

This was another phase of her insanity. She had gotten his hopes up and shattered them. She might have been aware of her surroundings and whom she was talking to, but she had no memory. This was it; this was how he was to watch his best friend, from the sidelines without any ability to help.

A feeling of hopelessness hit Naruto in waves, each larger than the next. Bile was coming up. There was no hope, no control, no point left. Fighting back tears, Naruto ran out of the room.

---

Kakashi followed Naruto to Sakura's room. He had heard the question, surprised that Naruto had figured it out. Listening to Sakura answer, his heart began to sink. A moment before Naruto had run out, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

So this was how it was to end with Sakura, the cherry blossom. He hung his head, not wanting to admit defeat. _DAMNIT!_ Kakashi shouted unaware. People stared at him as he walked down the street. Everyone parted, knowing how bad his anger was.

_This isn't good. She's hallucinating. Oh, no._ Kakashi's face was set so he wouldn't let any emotion show. He just wanted to get home, away from everyone's peeping eyes. At the moment it was practically impossible, considering that he was completely out of food, being ravenous, he had to eat somewhere.

Sighing, he walked to the Ramen Shop and sat down. Ayame quickly put a bowl of chicken ramen in front of the depressed jounin. He pulled his mask down, not caring if people saw, and began to eat.

---

Naruto sat in front of the stone memorial, tears snaking down his face. Falling gently to the ground, sparkles of light scattered. Entranced he watched the light sparkle and fade.

Lowering his head in defeat, he moaned. Nothing justified seeing Sakura suffer like that. This wasn't right. She didn't deserve this. Her ending was supposed to be honorific and brave. It wasn't meant to be.

He pictured Sakura dying protecting the village, not fading away into nothing. She was supposed to make him laugh, make him feel loved; make him feel confident once again.

He saw her name next to Sasuke's underneath Kakashi's father. Hanging his head, the Kyuubi felt the boy's pain and let him be. Sadness flowed from both beings as Naruto recalled her dying moments.

-Flashback-

Two days ago, she had been fine, but the darkness had encompassed her. It covered her eyes, throwing the light out. She looked up at the fox's container and smiled. For a moment, the fire was back.

"Goodbye, Naruto. Life is never fair. Be strong, my friend, my brother. Follow your heart. It won't let you down. Fulfill your dream, become Hokage. Find reason in your life. Do not worry, I will be in Paradise." Sakura leaned up and gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Don't be sad, live your life. I'll be fine."

Naruto held her hand, whispering, "Don't go. I'll protect you, take care of you. Don't leave me. Don't leave me like Sasuke."

Sakura smiled and with that, she fell into the deepest possible coma. Tsunade looked away from her pupil. Kakashi lowered his head, willing the tears not to come, to no prevail.

Her cheeks were wet when Ino leaned in and picked up the book in Sakura's hand. Opening it to the page of her bookmark, she read:

_War and Death_

_Common Synonyms,_

_Peace and Death_

_Just the same,_

_Death is Peace_

_As peace can only_

_Be obtained by death_

_Sorrow and Death_

_Still synonyms,_

_With Death_

_Comes sorrow,_

_But sorrow_

_Is not death_

_Pain and suffering_

_Obvious synonyms,_

_The two are almost_

_The same,_

_No amount of pain_

_Can blot out suffering,_

_Suffering is pain_

_So why then_

_Do people fear death?_

_What is so horrible?_

_It creates new beginnings_

_Covers up the old life,_

_Is death so horrible?_

_No_

_What is there to fear?_

_Change or a new life?_

_Neither is frightening_

_They're adventures_

_They're something different_

_Is that really so bad?_

_No_

_Peace and Death_

_Synonyms_

_Death is peace_

_As peace can only_

_Be obtained_

_By death_

---

Naruto hung his head at the memory of the poem. It was so amazing what that thing said. After Ino had set the book back down and everyone had left, Naruto began engraving it into his memory.

That moment he decided that was what was going on her tombstone, that poem.

---

A/N: Okay, I could continue on this, but it would last MANY more pages. I do own the poem, however. You can use it as long as you say whom you got it from. This isn't going to be as long as I thought.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Since when have I owned Naruto? Never

**Chapter 3**

Clutching her eyes shut, Ino remembered her best friend.

_Ino-pig,_ Sakura said. She was smiling. Laughter etched at her face, happiness radiating from every pore. This was the Cherry Blossom that Ino had befriended seven years earlier. Why did she leave?

Ino furiously fought back the urge to cry. She was a shinobi; show no pity, no love, no emotion. Recalling Sakura again, that rule never applied to the kunoichi. Sakura could never keep her emotions bottled up. When she had, it resulted in an explosion and a really bad day for the receiving end of her emotions.

_Ino-pig_. Ino closed her eyes remembering the sad face of Sakura when her father died. She didn't cry, only put a painful expression on. Sakura had watched them chisel _Haruno Riku_, on the memorial stone. No tear had ever escaped her eyes.

The sad memories rushed into Ino's mind. Pain covered the girl's face and she held back tears.

---

Naruto clutched the poem book and walked through the woods surrounding Konoha. As if on accident, he came to the waterfall that Jiraiya had spent most of his time at. Sitting on a large slab of rock above the fall, he opened the book.

The spot was so peaceful, quiet, and nice that Naruto stopped reading just to bring in the sweet smell of the springs. The rushing water calmed him and a single tear rolled down his left cheek.

He stiffened and resolved to devote himself fully to the way of the ninja. His joking around was to stop. He had to grow up some day and he vowed this day was it. Silently, he took the oath and continued to stare out at the water sailing past.

Suddenly, he looked up and turned to a large tree to his right. Kakashi never acknowledged his presence, only continued to watch the sunset. He was stretched out on a large branch. As the sun sank lower, turning the sky purple, Kakashi grabbed a leaf and semiconsciously ripped it up.

Letting the pieces go, he slowly watched them be taken away by the light breeze. Putting his head on the trunk of the tree, he surrendered to sleep.

Naruto let him be as he had found another sad poem. Closing his eyes, a tear slipped onto the page and wet it. Slamming the book shut, he walked away.

---

Three days passed and Naruto kept true to his word. He didn't let anything foolish pass through his lips nor did he let his guard down. He was always alert and he began to process things faster than usual.

Searching through almost all of the books at the Konoha Library, he finally found one he liked. Setting it to the side, he walked to the poetry section. He had read Sakura's book so many times, he had memorized some of the poems.

Pulling out a couple of large books, he added them to the other book. Walking up to the counter, a book caught his eye. _Story of Konoha Shinobi_ was a collection of stories about all the famous shinobi and kunoichi from Konoha.

It wasn't as thick as he first imagined. This would be a nice book to read. It could give him insight to many of the late ninja from this village.

Grabbing it, he carried the four books up to the checkout lines. A girl stood behind the counter. Her purple eyes lost some life as the boy came up to her. She tried to smile as he did, but neither succeeded. Handing his books back, she sat down watching the boy retire to a plush chair in small corner.

Naruto opened the ninja biography book. On accident, he came across the page on the fourth Hokage. A small portion caught his attention:

"...and sacrificing his life, he sealed the nine-tailed fox inside a young child, Uzumaki Naruto, his son..."

He reread the fraction once again and let out a sigh of exhaustion. He closed his eyes, but they weren't deceiving him. He had wondered who his parents were, but only vaguely wanted to know.

Slumping over slightly, he fell unconscious.

---

Five Months Later

---

Kakashi ran, taking to the rooftops. The wind whipped through his hair as the rising sun made it shine brightly. The eerie peacefulness unnerved the copy-nin, almost mocking his mood.

He had to find Naruto, fast. This couldn't happen, it wasn't right, why now. They were supposed to avoid war. Now, now, they were dragged into it. They couldn't avoid it. An enemy village had invaded Konoha just last night.

Obviously, with Tsunade still worried about his mental issues, he got stuck with notifying everyone. Not that all of them needed it, the huge bangs should have been an alarm clock for them anyway, but not Naruto, nothing woke him up.

Rolling his eyes, he remembered the time he had seen the ninja asleep at the library. Naruto had matured a lot. The silver haired man had seen him grow stronger as a child, but his power now was amazing.

He suspected part of the blonde's maturity, was the loss he felt for Sakura and how bad she wanted his dream to come true.

Fighting back tears, he skidded to a halt in front of the wooden door the Naruto's apartment. Entering, he saw Naruto stuffing kunai into his ANBU outfit. The tattoo on the Kyuubi container's upper arm, matched Kakashi's.

"Do you really need that many kunai?" the copy-nin questioned. Naruto stopped, and looked up before continuing with his task. It was a quick stare, but it gave away how the jounin was feeling.

Naruto had passed the jounin exam a month ago, and much to his dismay, nobody was there beside him. He couldn't bicker with Sasuke, nor watch Sakura take out a perverted man. Passing the test alone, reminded him that they were gone forever. There was no way they were coming back.

When he should have been celebrating with the other new jounin, he had wept in front of the memorial stone. He sat there tears streaming down his cheeks, running his hands over his friends, and, apparently, his father.

Now, he was about to risk his life for the village he had given his life to. _Ninja are tools. They are used and discarded._

Flinching, he remembered Haku, the boy who devoted his life to Zabuza. Uzumaki had always thought that had Haku not been killed, they could have been friends, but now death was the only way he could see him again.

Death was the only thing most ninja had in common. They were all going to live short lives. Nothing but tragedy befell ninja. Sadness was always in their hearts, they were killers and protectors at the same time. Neither good nor bad, neither yin nor yang. They were ninja; their life was coveted and hated by many people.

Reality sunk in and Kakashi was snapped out of it. His face was downcast and his eyes glazed over.

"Let's go," Naruto whispered sadly. Willing himself not to cry, he walked to the door and took to the roofs. Kakashi slid the door behind him, wondering if he would finally get his death wish.

As they got closer to the edge of the village the explosions got louder, the cries more pronounced, but one stood out in all of the commotion. Sakura's scream erupted from Ino's mouth and Ino began manipulating her chakra into a way only Sakura could do. He control was perfect.

---

Sakura was inside Ino. She could feel it. Inner Sakura was a part of her, and Ino now understood why the Cherry Blossom had died. When Ino had done the Mind Transfer Jutsu, she had not only taken her soul back into her body, but Inner Sakura's, too.

_Her soul resides in me!_ Ino thought as she thrust her kunai into a charging man. Surprise hit her when she figured out that he was dead. Chakra had been sent through the knife. When she realized the chakra had a slightly green glow to it, she quietly thanked Sakura.

The chakra wasn't there to heal, but after using too many healing jutsu, the chakra permanently remained green.

---

Naruto leapt into the fray, surrounded by red chakra. The Kyuubi was taking control; there was no way these invaders would take Konoha. His elongated nails, guarded by chakra began cleaving man after man in two. His anger was horrendous and the enemy nin started shirking away.

"Oh no you don't," his deepened voice shouted. The men froze, too scared to do anything. They were snapped back out of paralysis and into action as the demon fox erupted from Naruto.

Roaring, Kyuubi destroyed men under his tail, with his claws, any way he could. No control belonged to Naruto as Kyuubi protected the boy.

Even the Konoha villagers backed away from the awful rage. Suddenly an enemy nin shouted "TAKE IT DOWN! IGNORE THE OTHER VILLAGERS TAKE THE DEMON OUT!"

They were only too willing to oblige. The entire enemy swarmed onto Naruto and the Kyuubi. The fight lasted thirty minutes. Men were crushed, lives were taken, and as the Kyuubi fell, the deep voice rumbled, "Sasuke, here I come. I will beat you one day."

Naruto came into view and as his bright blues eyes, so full of life began to dim, the whiskers, he had carried his entire life, faded.

Time began to slow, as the enemy shinobi retreated. The blonde haired, happy-go-lucky boy fell to the ground. Kakashi fighting like mad, Hinata crying out for the boy.

The entire village ran in slow motion, and Naruto hit the ground. Sound came rushing back into Kakashi's ears. He heard the Hyuuga screaming, Ino sobbing, he heard it all.

As one last deed, he caught one of the other village's shinobi, knocking him unconscious.

---

Ibiki walked out of the room, hands bloody, eyes wide. "I don't believe it. I won't believe it."

He had just gotten done with the interrogations. Kakashi sat next to the door. Looking up from his studying his feet, he waited for Ibiki to elaborate.

"We trusted him and he betrayed us. I'm sure he wasn't lying. I could tell it in his eyes. The man who had told them to strike was Uchiha Sasuke!"

Kakashi's eye narrowed, but Ibiki wasn't done. "Kabuto was there. He led them. Even with Orochimaru gone, they still want to take down Konohagakure."

The copy-nin's eyes went wide. He didn't trust Sasuke. He had known there was something up. After watching Naruto and Sasuke fight with all they had, he knew that Sasuke had come back to kill them. When Sasuke began the hand seals for the Chidori, Kakashi had done, as he should have long ago. Creating a shadow clone, he threw a kunai and hit him in the back.

Thinking that he could have saved the entire village, he killed Sasuke. He may have saved the village, he may not have, but either way, Sasuke had had a hand in this.

---

Kakashi walked slowly to the memorial stone, where twenty-three names had been added.

_Maito Gai_

_Shiranui Genma_

_Uzumaki Naruto_

_Aburame Shino_

_Inuzuka Kiba_

_Tenten_

_Hyuuga Neji_

_Rock Lee_

_Mitarashi Anko_

_Nara Shikamaru_

The list went on and on. Kakashi smiled slightly as he traced over the name of Konoha's Green Beast. Never again would he listen to a "Fountain of Youth" speech from him. They were still tied at 63 to 63. Kakashi had sworn he was going to beat Gai in their next showdown of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

It wasn't fair that so many people had suffered. He traced Naruto's name, then Sakura's, Obito's, and Rin's.

---

Ino had begun talking to the girl occupying her body. Never again would she feel alone. She had her best friend with her. Sakura seemed content with sharing a body, as long as Ino cut her hair.

Grumbling slightly, Ino sliced off about three inches.

They swapped stories and became closer friends than they had ever been before. It probably had been helped along with the fact that they were in the same body.

Sakura's voice escaped Ino's lips sometimes, shocking the blonde, but she didn't mind. They were friends again, in the worst of times.

---

Kakashi ambled through the forest surrounding Konoha. A rustle in the bush behind him and a presence of chakra told him he wasn't alone.

Laughter erupted from the undergrowth and Kabuto stepped out.

Kakashi's eye lit on fire and he uncovered his Sharingan. "Damn you, Kabuto!"

---

A/N: As you can tell, I hate Sasuke. I'm really sorry about this cliffhanger and I WILL post the next chapter soon. It will be the last chapter, though. Oh, and with the Naruto in the library thing, it's a theory.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A/N: Last chapter, and the mood hasn't lightened one bit. Sorry. Oh, and Naruto and all that implies does not belong to me. Sorry about that too.

---

Kakashi stared as Kabuto laughed. "You should have seen your face when I killed Naruto. Oh, and kudos to getting Sasuke out of my way."

The copy-nin's eyes narrowed. Kabuto continued, "Now, I don't hope you mind that I kill you."

Kakashi gritted his teeth. "I...do...mind!"

-Flashback-

Sakura traced her father's name. Her breath was visible and tears rolled down her cheeks. The sun wasn't even up and her mood was horrible.

Her father had died the day before. She hadn't felt anything. It hadn't sunk in, hadn't felt right, but now it was pain, it hurt more than anything.

Kakashi walked up and hung his head. He hadn't meant to interrupt. Turning around, he walked away.

Kakashi sat in front of the memorial stone, his head hung. He ran his fingers over the well-worn name, and his eye was downcast when Sakura walked up.

"Go away," he said, none too kindly. Sakura ignored him as he traced the name of his best friend.

She frowned. "Every day you come here and feel sorry for yourself. You blame yourself for everything and you always think you're alone. People have suffered more than you, but you drown in self-pity. Uchiha Obito didn't give up his life so you could sulk."

Kakashi stared at her and his eye went downcast. She was right, although he would never forget it.

Then, two weeks later, death had to strike her, too.

---

Kabuto's kunai pierced his stomach, pain searing him back into the present. Kakashi coughed and thrust the sound ninja away.

Kabuto lifted himself from the ground. He laughed. "Have you gone soft, Kakashi? I figured you would have killed me by now, especially after I have fun destroying that annoying brat."

White chakra surrounded Hatake Kakashi, power coursed through his body. The amount of energy he was going to use for his Chidori was going to be tremendous. The side effect, however, was going to kill him.

The sound ninja's eyes narrowed as Kakashi uncovered his eye. He would only have one shot, and he was not going to waste it.

"Die, Kabuto!" Kakashi pushed the Chidori into Kabuto's chest. The sound ninja coughed and hit the ground with a thud. His eyes clouded over and he was dead.

Kakashi fell to his knees. Crawling slowly, the leaf shinobi heaved himself to the memorial stone.

So close to death, he was so close to everyone who cared about him.

The memorial was right in front of him. Wiping his bloody hands across the names, his vision became blurred.

He ran his fingers over the blank space where Sasuke's name used to be. Smiling slightly he remembered Naruto's words when he had been tied to the tree trunk.

_"I'm not going to live and die for nothing. I'll be a hero. My name will be on that stone!"_

The loudmouth ninja's words echoed in his head.

_'Well, you got that wish. I'm sorry your other one didn't come true.'_

He traced one last name. Uchiha Obito. _'Sakura was right. You didn't want me to sulk, you wanted me to live, and I ignored your last wish. At least now, I can apologize.'_

With that, the pain coursing through Kakashi's body subsided as he went to meet his friends.

---

A scream erupted from the woods. Ino covered her mouth to stop from throwing up.

Kabuto's body lay mangled in front of her, blood covering him.

The Yamanaka closed her eyes and ran to a bush. As her lunch was being thrown unceremoniously on the grass, she noticed a trail of red.

Ino followed it to Kakashi's body. She let out a cry, helped in volume by Inner Sakura.

Tsunade and Hinata came sprinting to the girl. Hinata turned away as Tsunade pushed chakra into Hatake's body.

After five minutes, the Hokage gave up. "Damnit!" she shouted. Looking up from the corpse, she noticed the blood coving the empty space where Sasuke's name used to be.

_'Your name will grace that spot.'_ Her eyes flickered to Dan's name and she felt a twinge of guilt. No matter how lucky you are, no matter how much power you have, miracles are still impossible. Tears form in Tsunade's eyes and slowly rolled down her face.

Hinata and Ino cried on each other's shoulders. The pains of watching so many die, the horror of seeing their faces lose their joy. There was too much pain, too little hope.

-Flashback-

Seven years old, Hinata held her younger sister's hand. Swiftly following her father, she looked down at Hanabi. The two year old was sucking her thumb.

The three of them stopped at a gravestone surrounded by trees. Flowers grew on either side. Hinata's pale eyes traced her mother's name and tears well up.

"F-father?" Hinata stuttered.

"What?" the man said.

"W-why do people have to d-die?" she asked. Hiashi stopped. Slowly, he replied.

"Without death there is no life. I suppose death makes life important."

---

Five days later

---

The enemy ninja were gone. They had scattered when they found Kabuto's body. Kakashi's name had been added to the memorial stone, but still people had lost joy.

So many people died. The memorial stone was losing spaces for names, and more people were visiting.

After Ino had been hospitalized with schizophrenia, only one person never seemed to leave. That was Hinata. She sat tracing the name of the Kyuubi container, Uzumaki Naruto.

_"Death makes life important."_

---

A/N: It's completed. If you want to kill me for killing Kakashi, go right ahead. I smacked myself plenty of times writing it.


End file.
